Interesting People Reading Poetry is a short, sound-rich podcast created by Andy & Brendan Stermer. We ask artists and luminaries to read us a favorite poem and share what it means to them. Guests include U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, Song Exploder host Hrishikesh Hirway, Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten, painter Enrique Martínez Celaya, and photographer Alec Soth, among many others. We’ve been featured by the CBC Podcast Playlist, MPR News, Los Angeles Review of Books Podcast Review, Irish Independent, and elsewhere.
Our ambient scores and production style are an attempt to modernize the ancient practice of reciting poems to sparse, drone-like musical accompaniment. For more on the lost art of “speaking to the psaltery,” we recommend this essay by Yeats.
We created the show in 2017 with support from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Today, IPRP is a proudly independent, ad-free podcast. We rely on listeners like you to help us spread the word about the show. If you find value in what we do, please write us a short review on Apple Podcasts and share a favorite episode with a friend.
We welcome guest pitches and recommendations, but please keep in mind that we do not feature any poets as guests in this series. We’re interested in exploring how luminaries from diverse disciplines can teach us to approach poems in new ways. Contact us at interestingpeoplereadingpoetry [at] gmail [dot] com.
We feature one short listener poem at the end of every episode. To submit, call the Haiku Hotline at 612-440-0643 and read your poem after the beep. For the occasional prompt, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Andy Stermer is a composer based in Miami. His work spans a range of genres including film, digital media, choral, jazz, and chamber music. One of his favorite poems is “The God Who Loves You” by Carl Dennis.
Brendan Stermer lives and writes poems in northwest Minnesota. His work has appeared in North Dakota Quarterly, Rust + Moth, Metamorphosis, and elsewhere. One of his favorite poems is “The Partial Explanation” by Charles Simic.
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